Conveyor belts are used in a number of different industrial fields to provide continuous motion of goods during manufacture, shipping, and other processes. Industrial conveyor belts commonly include a series of spaced apart rods connected via a series of interlocking links which are welded to the rods. In some cases, the links may be substantially U-shaped, and thus may include an inner leg, an outer leg, and a connecting portion extending between the legs at one end of the link. The rods and links of conveyor belts may be formed from metal or non-metal materials, such as plastics. For the manufacture of small items, the rods may be covered with a fabric, plastic, or metal overlay, such as a mesh, to prevent the small items from slipping between the rods and falling to the manufacturing floor.
A typical conveyor belt 10 is shown in FIG. 1, which corresponds to FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,188, which is incorporated herein by reference. Conveyor belt 10 includes rods 20 connected by links 22 covered by a mesh 14. A buttonhead 32 is formed on the ends of rods 20 to act as a stop for links 22. A weld is also typically formed between buttonhead 32 and link 22 for a stronger and more secure connection between rods 20 and links 22. Conveyor belt systems have also been developed with buttonless rods. Such buttonless systems include a relatively flat weld that sits flush with the outer surface of the link or may extend slightly from the outer surface of the link.
Conveyor belts as described above can be subject to wear due to contact with drive surfaces, which can create challenges in maintaining the conveyor belt and associated equipment. For example, if a conveyor belt is subjected to a curvy path, the conveyor belt is driven around a curve via friction between the edge of the conveyor belt and a driving belt. The driving belt includes a drive surface which frictionally grasps the sides of the links of the conveyor belt to force the conveyor belt to follow the path of the curve. With use, the outermost portions of the link that come into contact with the drive surface (usually the buttonheads, welds at the rod/link junction, and/or portions of the link legs) may become worn and/or damaged. In addition, other portions of links, such as the connecting portion between inner and outer link legs may be subject to wear.
The present disclosure is directed to improvements in wear resistance of conveyor belt components.